Murphys, California
| Murphys | |
|---|---|
| Census designated place | |
Old house in Murphys
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|
 Location in Calaveras County and the state of California |
|
 Murphys
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| Coordinates: 38°8′N 120°28′W / 38.133°N 120.467°WCoordinates: 38°8′N 120°28′W / 38.133°N 120.467°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 California
|
| County | Calaveras |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.323 sq mi (26.738 km2) |
| • Land | 10.321 sq mi (26.732 km2) |
| • Water | 0.002 sq mi (0.006 km2) 0.02% |
| Elevation | 2,172 ft (662 m) |
| Population (April 1, 2010) | |
| • Total | 2,213 |
| • Density | 210/sq mi (83/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 95229, 95247 |
| Area code | 209 |
| FIPS code | 06-50034 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 277560, 2408892 |
| Reference no. | 275 |
Murphys (formerly Murphy, Murphy's, Murphy's Camp, Murphy's Diggins, Murphys New Diggings, and Queen of the Sierra) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Calaveras County, California, United States. The population was 2,213 at the 2010 census, up from 2,061 at the 2000 census.
John and Daniel Murphy were part of the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party, the first immigrant party to bring wagons across the Sierra Nevada to Sutter's Fort in 1844. They earned a living as merchants, but like many others, began prospecting when the California Gold Rush began. They first started in Vallecito, which was known as "Murphys Old Diggings," before moving to another location in 1848 which became "Murphys New Diggings," "Murphy's Camp," and eventually just "Murphys."
The placer mining in this location was wildly successful. Miners were limited to claims of 8 square feet (0.75 m2) and yet many were still able to become rich. The Murphy brothers themselves, however, made far more money as merchants than as miners. In fact, John was so successful that he left town at the end of 1849 and never returned, having amassed a personal fortune of nearly $2 million. Roughly $20 million in gold was discovered in Murphys and the surrounding area. Two of the richest diggings were named Owlsburg and Owlburrow Flat.
Murphys was also a popular destination as a tourist resort, as the nearby giant sequoia trees in what is now Calaveras Big Trees State Park were a major draw, and they continue to be so today. After visiting, John Muir wrote in his book, The Mountains of California (1894):
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